Our Programs
Education for Slum GirlsIn 2008, Aarti Naik founded SAKHI for Girls’ Education and began teaching daily classes for girls in the slums and rural areas of Mumbai, India. Since that time, SAKHI has been reaching slum- and rural area-based girls through the following strategies:
- Teaching basic literacy and numeracy to girls in an after-school program, which includes guided learning, games, and contests to make learning interesting and fun.
- Providing a girls-only space for learning. In a safe, supportive, and quality learning space, girls can learn, develop friendship networks, be educated about their rights, and become leaders.
- Providing girls with quality books in both English and Marathi to promote reading.
- Promoting girls-only activities that help girls develop skills, build self-confidence, increase participation, and learn to be active and shape their own lives.
- Developing local girl leaders as mentors to be role models for younger girls.
SAKHI has implemented several programs to carry out its mission.
GIRLS LEARNING CENTRE
The Girls’ Learning Centre emerged from Aarti Naik’s experiences of working with slum girls. It provides a safe and quality learning space where girls come together to learn. The Learning Centre offers a community-based basic education programme especially for building basic literacy, numeracy, and life skills of slum girls with a lifelong learning approach. Currently around 30 girls are benefiting from activities such as educational capacity building classes, life skills building sessions, developing reading and writing skills library of English and Marathi books and basic computer literacy skills.
AUDIO STORYTELLING PROJECT
An initiative to respond to the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis in urban slums and rural areas of India. Every day a new inspiring audio story creates positive hope for girls and their family members who are isolated at home. Our initiative helps more than 5000 girls in urban and rural India through the power of audio storytelling.
SAKHI GIRLS' BANK
Sakhi brings girls together regularly to put aside money specifically for their future educational needs. Girls learn how to save, how to use their saved money in emergencies, and to provide for their own formal schooling.
Girls’ Book Bank
In November 2012, SAKHI started the Girls’ Book Bank: Helping Slum Girls to Read and Lead. Currently around 100 girls are taking part in this initiative to promote literacy in English and Marathi. This innovative literacy and leadership programme provides books, and book bags for their safe storage, to neighbourhood girls. SAKHI recruits adolescent girls to become Reading Leaders for their neighbourhood, bringing books to slum girls door-to-door, and gathering them together in fun activities to inspire reading, improve vocabulary, and build confidence. The Book Bank hosts reading and writing competitions that motivate girls to read at home. The younger girls observe the older girls reading, and each girl inspires, supports, and guides each other.
To continue providing education for the slum girls of Mumbai, Sakhi needs your support. Donate today!
Be A Sakhi: Make A Donation
NRI / FOREIGN DONORS
DONATE TO AARTI NAIK’S GIRLS’ EDUCATION INITIATIVE
Aarti Naik’s work to educate Mumbai slum girls is funded by Sahityaratna Lokshahir Annabhau Sathe Bahuudeshiya Samajik Sanstha (SLASBSS), a registered charity in Maharashtra, India. When you donate online to Citizen Angel, 100% of the funds received are granted to SLASBSS to support Aarti Naik’s Girls’ Education Initiative. Citizen Angel and SLASBSS retain no percentage of these funds.
INDIAN DONORS
DONATE TO SAKHI FOR GIRLS EDUCATION FROM WITHIN INDIA
All donations are eligible for 50% tax exemption under section 80G of the Income Tax Act, 1961.
Donors located in India can donate directly to Sakhi for Girls Education via PayUMoney.